God has blessed me in all facets of my life and has indeed given me a wonderful life. I've been blessed with 3 wonderful children, a loving wife, a successful career or two and above all the Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I drifted after HS and eventually graduated from TTU in 1984 with a BBA, then went to Grad School. Stayed in Lubbock, but traveled a lot. Married a college buddy - now a School Nurse @ Lubbock High. Our oldest daughter is a junior @ TTU, our youngest daughter is a sophomore @ MHS and our son is @ Evans.

This is a bittersweet time as I morn those who we've lost, rejoice in anticipation of the reunion and dread seeing those I'd really care not to see. (if you don't know which group you are in, it's the second. ;). I look forward to seeing all you old people and rekindling lost or misplaced friendships. Times have certainly changed. The things we did for fun and amusement will get our children locked up...

BTW - Who dug up the original 'fro picture???

And on a less serious note, I present you with some observations and perspectives:

2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Mark started it.

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Scenario: Ricky won't be still in class, disrupts other students.

1977 - Ricky sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.

2007 – Ricky given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Ricky has a disability.

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Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.

1977 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.

2007 - Billy's Dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their Dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.

2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.

1977 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.

2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

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1977 Billy and Jack and Johnny and Mark and whoever else is in 1977 they could have had (in their prime)Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner, Boston, Elton John and all the disco stuff .

2007, they get Kanye West and Black-Eyed Peas and rehashed torn up versions of The Police and The Stones.

Okay, I came up some more stuff a TTU buddy from OPHS sent me:

Last weekend I put an exhaust fan in the ceiling for my wife's grandfather. While my wife's brother and I were fitting the fan in between the joists, we found something under the insulation. What we found was this:

A JC Penney catalog from 1977. It's not often blog fodder just falls in my lap, but holy hell this was two solid inches of it, right there for the taking. I thumbed through it quickly and found my next dining room set, which is apparently made by adding upholstery to old barrels:

There's plenty more home furnishings where those came from, however I'm not going to bore you with that. Instead, I'm going to bore you with something else. The clothes.

The clothes are fantastic.

Here's how to get your butt kicked in high school:

This kid looks like he's pretending to be David Soul, who is pretending to be a cop who is pretending to be a pimp that everyone knows is really an undercover cop. Who is pretending to be 15.

Here's how to get your butt kicked on the golf course:

This "all purpose jumpsuit" is, according to the description, equally appropriate for playing golf or simply relaxing around the house. Personally, I can't see wearing this unless you happen to be relaxing around your cell in D-block. Even then, the only reason you should put this thing on is because the warden made you, and as a one-piece, it's slightly more effective as a deterrent against rape.Here's how to get your butt kicked pretty much anywhere:

If you look at that picture quickly, it looks like Mr. Bob "No-pants" Saget has his hand in the other guy's pocket. In this case, he doesn't, although you can tell just by looking at them that it's happened - or if it hasn't happened it will. Oh yes. It will. As soon as he puts down his matching coffee cup. Here's how to get your butt kicked at the beach:

He looks like he's reaching for a gun, but you know it's probably just a bottle of suntan lotion in a holster.

How to get your butt kicked in a meeting:

If you wear this suit and don't sell used cars for a living, I believe you can be fined and face serious repercussions, up to and including termination. Or imprisonment, in which case you'd be forced to wear that orange jumpsuit.

How to get your butt kicked on every day up to and including St. Patrick's Day

I don't believe that color exists in nature. There is NO excuse for wearing either of these ensembles unless you're working as a body guard for the Lucky Charms leprechaun.

And this -- Seriously. No words.

Oh wait, it turns out that there are words after all. Those words are What The H*** . I'm guessing the snap front gives you quick access to the chest hair. The little tie must be the pull tab.

Also, judging by the sheer amount of matching his/hers outfits, I'm guessing that in 1977 it was considered pretty stylish for couples to dress alike. These couples look happy, don't they?

I am especially fond of this one, which I have entitled "Cowboy Chachi Loves You Best."

And nothing showcases your everlasting love more than the commitment of matching bathing suits. That, and a blonde girl with a look on her face that says "I love the way your junk fights against that fabric."

Then, after the lovin', you can relax in your one-piece matching terry cloth jumpsuits:

I could go on, but I'm tired, and my eyes hurt from this trip back in time. I think it's the colors. That said, I will leave you with these tasteful little numbers:

Man, that's sexy.

Send Tom a Message

ChristyWhite (Jones)

Marital Status:MarriedNo. of Children:3

From Christy:I graduated Texas Tech in 1981 with a degree in education with an emphasis in Special Education. While there I met the love of my life, Butch, and we just celebrated our 25th anniversary! We have 3 great kids. Derek (20) is a junior at SMU, Colby (18) will be a freshman at A&M in the fall and Sam(10) will be a 4th grader! We have lived in Rockwall for 10 years.

Send Christy a Message

MelindaMoss (Kerr)

Occupation:school counselorMarital Status:MarriedNo. of Children:2

From Melinda:I married Tim, and we have been married 27 years in July. Wow! That is very hard to believe! We have 2 sons. Jerrod is 23 and just got married in March and graduated from Tech in May. Kevin is 18 and graduated from Shallowater High School in May. He will attend West Texas A&M in the fall. I taught school for 24 years then went back to Tech to get my Masters in Counseling. I am now a school counselor at Mackenzie Middle School. It is really fun to see the "old" friends I went to school with as parents sending their own kids to Mackenzie. I am looking forward to seeing everyone in August!!!

Send Melinda a Message

JACKIEGRIMES (LEE)

Then

Now

Occupation:SCHOOL SECRETARYMarital Status:MarriedNo. of Children:2

From JACKIE:HI TO EVERYONE. I'VE BEEN MARRIED TO MY HUSBAND GUY FOR 30 YEARS (NOV 07). WE HAVE LIVED IN MOORE, OKLA. FOR 30 YEARS. WE HAVE 2 KIDS - JASON (27) & LESLIE (24). WE HAVE 3 GRANDKIDS - CONNOR (6), KANE (4 1/2), ELLE (2 1/2) & WE WILL HAVE A NEW ARRIVAL @ 9/1 (ADDISON). I HAVE WORKED THE LAST 15 YEARS AT ROBIN HILL SCHOOL IN NORMAN, OKLA.

From Kathy:Still under five feet tall. Cut my hair to the shoulders or less. Still do a lot of photography. Enjoying the travel and wind energy business. Wish that I could have seen everyone. Great website. Feels nice just looking at it.

From Kathy:Since graduation I have never left Lubbock, it is a great place to raise kids. After attending 13 schools between elementary and high school, I wanted my kids to have a stable school career. I have a 20 year old son (CHS graduate) and a 17 year old daughter (she attends LHS). I retired after a 23 year career at the Lubbock Avalanche Journal. My last position was Advertising manager. Since I was too young to quit work, plus I couldn't afford it, I started a new career. I now am Suddenlink Media's General Sales Manager of West Texas. I enjoy my kids and my job. I am very busy and loving life!Send Kathy a Message

TerriMcDole (McCasland)

Then

Now

Occupation:Assistant LibrarianMarital Status:MarriedNo. of Children:1

From Terri:It's been a great 30 years. I married 2 months out of high school after knowing my husband for 3 weeks. He was in the Air Force, so we went to England right after we married. We were there for 2 years, then came back to San Antonio for 2 years . Then we moved to Wichita Falls, where we had our son, then back to England for 4 years. We finished up in San Angelo & were there for 15 years. My husband (Johnny) retired from the Air Force there and worked for the school system there. I worked at Wal-Mart for 11 years. We moved to Tulia in 1999 & now I work for the county library. I have a son & a step-daughter. My son has one son and my step-daughter has 2 children. She lives in Houston & we see them once or twice a year. My son is in the Air Force now, stationed in Japan. My grandson has been staying with us for the last 8 months. He is such a lot of fun. I never knew it could be so much fun being a grandparent! Send Terri a Message

From Lisa:I am still working on my college degree. I dropped out as a junior long ago and have gone back to finish up - slowly!

I have worked for Texas Tech University in the Budget Office for over 20 years.

I have been blessed with 2 children: A daughter, Cynthia (21) who graduated from Coronado in 2004 and is attending Tech majoring in Early Childhood Education; and a son, Joshua (18) who just graduated from Lubbock High School and will be attending Tech in the fall majoring in Computer Engineering.Send Lisa a Message